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MN CropCast: Turmoil and opportunities in Minnesota grain marketing

Ed Usset, Grain Marketing Economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota, joins us for this milestone 50th episode of Minnesota CropCast, recorded on September 12, 2025. Working with colleagues at the Center for Farm Financial Management and in Extension, Ed developed the acclaimed Winning the Game workshop series and manages Commodity Challenge, an online marketing education game that uses real-time cash and futures data. At the University, he also teaches Commodity Markets to undergraduate and graduate students. In this episode, Ed stresses the economic importance for grain growers to complete final marketing of any 2024 crop still in storage by this fall. He shares suggestions and target prices to help producers forward-price grain, drawing on seasonal post-harvest market patterns—especially critical during times of lower prices and weakened demand under current trade policies. He also reviews the potential financial impacts of economic constraints on...
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Fall manure application: Plans, resources & strategies for Minnesota farmers

On this episode of the  Nutrient Management Podcast , we talk all about fall manure application. What should be on a farmer’s to-do list to prepare for fall application? What names need to be on an operation's emergency response plan, and what kind of PPE should farmers keep nearby? How much lead time does a lab need to return sample results? If a farmer plans to work with a commercial applicator, what can they do ahead of time to ensure a successful season? All of this, plus a farmer Q&A, on-farm research advice, an update on ManureDB and more on today's show. Read the full transcript Guests: Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (Morris, MN) Nancy Bohl Bormann, researcher, manure and nutrient management (St. Paul) Eduardo Garay, on-farm research manager, manure management (St. Paul) Additional Resources: How to put together a manure management plan UMN Manure (YouTube)...
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Weed control ahead of the combine

Dave Nicolai, Extension educator - crops, Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist, Liz Stahl, Extension educator - crops, Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed scientist, and Ryan Miller, Extension educator - crops Waterhemp weed escapes in corn. Photo: Ryan Miller While it is too late to control weeds in row crops this year, there is still time to limit weed seed production and prevent additions to the weed seedbank. Combine harvesters are notorious for spreading weed seeds. Hand-pulling or mowing weed patches are some of the last lines of defense before harvest. Surveys of Private Pesticide Applicators (Figure 1) across Minnesota show that although a smaller percentage of respondents report they harvest weed areas separately (5 to 10%), a growing percentage of respondents report hand-pulling weeds as part of their weed management program (39% in 2024, the highest percentage reported since 2017). Taking some extra time now through these tactics can pay dividends for weed management in t...
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Registration now open: UMN and NDSU soil management conference, January 2026

University of Minnesota Extension and NDSU Extension are excited to announce that registration is now open for the Soil Management Summit (SMS) and Dakota Innovation Research and Technology (DIRT) Conference on January 14-15, 2026 in Fargo, ND! The SMS and DIRT Conference highlights the importance of real farmer know-how and local research. This innovative gathering offers presentations and Q&A sessions with farmers, researchers, and agricultural advisors, valuable insights from sponsors, and opportunities for informal discussions. The SMS and DIRT Conference covers a variety of topics, including: Cover crops Tillage practices Nutrient management Soil health economics Livestock management Soil biology Our conference attendees work as farmers, ranchers, land owners, ag advisors, local conservation staff and more. Join us for a unique event that offers both farmer experience and research results to aid you in your soil health journey. Dates & Times: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 6:...
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How to put together a manure management plan

By: Melissa Wilson, Extension specialist; Nancy Bohl Bormann, Researcher; & Chryseis Modderman, Extension educator It’s that time of year when the crops are coming off the field and folks are starting to think about next year’s crop. If you have livestock on your farm, you are also thinking about manure application, which may happen this fall and/or next spring. How can you maximize use of your manure and minimize how much fertilizer you have to purchase? A manure management plan can help you look at the big picture. Remember, manure is like a multivitamin for your field – it has all the nutrients that crops need, just not necessarily in the right amounts! Just like multivitamins for people, you don’t want to overdo it. So, what information do you need for a manure management plan? Manure There are two things you need to know about your manure – how much do you have and what’s in it? If this will be the first year that you apply manure from a new operation, you’ll have to estimate ...
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Bioreactors in-depth: Carbon sources, incorporation, maintenance & more

Today on the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast we take a close-up look at bioreactors as an edge-of-field practice. How does this important tool work, and how does it mitigate nitrate loss? What types of carbon sources have traditionally been used in a bioreactor, and what types of carbon could be used in the future? How are bioreactors incorporated in to a farmer's operation? How are they maintained? How effective and efficient are bioreactors? What's on the horizon for the next generation of bioreactor technology? All this and more on today's episode. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Strock, Extension soil scientist (Lamberton) Additional resources: Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from agricultural drainage water by a modular bioreactor Bioreactor Research 3 takeaways from the Conservation Drainage Network’s annual meeting Edge of field N and P reduction strategies: What to know about conservation drainage ...
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Can Winter Rye Winterkill?

Until this year, I probably would have argued that it would be darn difficult to kill winter rye in a Minnesota winter. Last fall was dry, but eventually all six winter rye trial locations had excellent stands. They had reached at least the tillering stage before winter weather halted growth and development. The winter that followed was very open and dry, however, and resulted in enough winterkill that three locations were abandoned.  I suspect that desiccation, rather than the temperature, led to their demise. The average winter survival scores of the three remaining trial locations are summarized in Table 1.   My interpretation is that KWS Receptor, SU Erling, and Danko are slightly more prone to winterkill and thinner stands if there is a very open and dry winter, and that Hazlet, Rymin, and ND Gardner are the least likely to suffer stand losses in open and dry winters.    Table 1 - Average winter survival score of winter rye varieties at three locations...
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